The present application is a continuation of international patent application no. PCT/EP00/10580, filed Oct. 27, 2000, designating the United States of America, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Priority is claimed based on Federal Republic of Germany patent application no. 199 51 960.9, filed Oct. 28, 1999.
This invention relates to a process for the production of benzimidazole derivatives suitable as antiulceratives, in particular omeprazole or pantoprazole.
Antiulceratives are today used on a large scale for the treatment of ulcers, in particular stomach ulcers (gastric ulcers). There are many different causes for stomach ulcers and many people are prescribed drugs to provide relief. Treatment is usually with substances which inhibit the proton pumps, H+K+ATPase, located in the stomach wall. Known representatives of this therapeutic category are 5-methoxy-2-[(4-methoxy-3,5-dimethyl-2-pyridinyl)methyl]sulfinyl-1H-benzimidazole, generic name omeprazole, and 5-(difluoromethoxy)-2-[3,4-dimethoxy-2-pyridyl)methylsulfinyl]benzimidazole, generic name pantoprazole. Omeprazole in particular is a known proton pump inhibitor, for which a considerable number of production processes have been developed. The synthesis of omeprazoles and structurally related compounds typically comprises several stages. In the case of omeprazole of 5-methoxy-2-[(4-methoxy-3,5-dimethyl-2-pyridinyl)methylthio]-1H-benzimidazole, which is also known as pyrmetazole, the final step is usually oxidation of a sulfide, to yield the corresponding sulfinyl, in particular to yield omeprazole. This final oxidation step is of great significance to the yield, purity and also economic viability of the entire production process and various proposals have accordingly been made in the prior art for this synthesis step.
In EP 0 005 129, which claimed protection for the substance omeprazole, oxidation is described as with the assistance of oxidising agents such as m-chloroperbenzoic acid in a solvent. This solvent is not specified in any further detail, but the Examples only make reference to trichloromethane, ethanol, benzene and hydrochloric acid. Yields and product purity were, however, not satisfactory.
EP 0 533 264 discloses an oxidation process in which magnesium ammonoperoxyphthalate is used. This reaction conventionally performed in solvents which contain water, water-miscible solvents or water-immiscible solvents, or preferably, combinations of these three types of solvent. Various solvents are listed, for example low molecular weight alcohols as the water-miscible solvent and toluene as the water-immiscible solvent. However, neither ketones nor explicitly acetone are mentioned and also not preferred.
EP 0 484 265 describes various possibilities for the production of omeprazole, wherein the last reaction step, the oxidation of pyrmetazole to omeprazole is performed with a per-acid, preferably m-chloroperbenzoic acid, in an acidic medium with pyrmetazole salts, if the solvent is not methanol. In contrast, when methanol is used, as is preferred, pyrmetazole is used and the oxidation is performed with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a catalyst such as ammonium molybdate and an inorganic base.
EP 302 720 describes oxidation with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of vanadium compounds. This document lists a series of compounds as solvents, among which ethanol, methanol, acetone and acetonitrile are preferred. Although acetone is used in this case, the use of hydrogen peroxide with a catalyst is disclosed as essential to the invention. This constitutes the nub of the inventive concept of said application.
GB 2 239 453 furthermore describes the oxidation of pyrmetazole by photochemical oxidation by exciting appropriate compounds with light in order to oxidise pyrmetazole to yield omeprazole.
WO 98/09962 describes an oxidation with peroxyacetic acid in a two-phase medium of water and a chlorinated organic solvent at an alkaline pH. Dichloromethane is stated to be particularly preferred in this case.
WO 91/18895 corresponds to European patent EP 0 533 752. This document describes oxidation with m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid in an inert solvent, wherein methylene chloride is preferred, at a pH of around 8.0 to 8.6, wherein the actual essence of the reaction is the addition of alkyl formate to the aqueous phase. In this case too, acetone is not mentioned at all and, in principle, the route via chloroperoxybenzoic acid in dichloromethane already known from EP 0533752 is adopted.
WO 97/22603 discloses a process in which the final reaction steps are all performed in the same solvent system. Oxidation is here again performed with m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid. Preferred solvent systems are media immiscible with water, for example carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethane, chloroform, methylene chloride or toluene. Toluene is in particular preferred in this process.
EP 240 158 relates to benzimidazole derivatives as antiulceratives. In this case, oxidation is performed with per-compounds, such as m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid, in halogenated hydrocarbons, such as chloroform or dichloromethane, and/or alcohols, such as methanol, ethanol or butanol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,997 discloses corresponding benzimidazole derivatives, in which the derivatives are oxidised with any known oxidising agents, in particular peroxy acids, but also for example with hypochlorite solution. The reaction preferably proceeds in inert solvents, such as benzene, methylene chloride or chloroform.
Further relevant documents in this connection are ES 539 739, in which iodosobenzene and iodosotoluene are proposed as oxidising agents, and ES 543 816, which proposed m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid in powder form for the oxidation.
The large number of proposed process variants alone makes it clear that there is further need for improvement. The majority of these processes known from the prior art thus exhibit the disadvantage that they often give rise to low yields, in particular of omeprazole, or that the omeprazole obtained is contaminated with starting materials or secondary products. A common feature, however, is that, even if these disadvantages are not so pronounced, all the preferred or explicitly described production processes are performed with chlorinated organic solvents such as dichloromethane or trichloromethane or other compounds such as toluene which are undesirable from an environmental or medical standpoint. All these compounds are known to have a negative impact on the environment and as more stringent regulatory requirements are being imposed and the costs that are inevitably associated therewith, there is thus a clear need to bring about an improvement in comparison with the prior art.
The object of the present invention is accordingly to provide a process for the production of benzimidazole derivatives, in particular omeprazole and pantoprazole, suitable as antiulceratives, which process, while achieving elevated yields and high purity of the final products, allows solvents to be used which are more compatible with environmental and health concerns.
The present application accordingly provides a first process for the production of antiulceratives of the formula I: 
in which
R1, R2 and R3 are independently selected from
hydrogen,
C1-C8 alkyl,
C3-C8 cycloalkyl,
C2-C8 fluoroalkyl and
C1-C8 alkoxy,
R4 and R5 are independently selected from
hydrogen,
C1-C8 alkyl,
C3-C8 cycloalkyl,
CH2-C3-C8 cycloalkyl,
C1-C8 alkoxycarbonyl,
C1-C8 alkoxy,
C1-C8 fluoroalkoxy,
CF3,
C2-C8 fluoroalkyl and
xe2x80x94C(O)Oxe2x80x94C1-C8 alkyl, and
R6 is selected from
hydrogen and
C1-C2 alkyl,
in which process a compound of the formula II: 
in which R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 have the above-stated meaning, is reacted with oxidising agents, in particular peroxy compounds, preferably m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid, in a solvent. A catalyst may optionally be added during said reaction. The pH of this reaction mixture is then raised to above pH 7.0, the solvent is optionally removed and then the crystals of the compound of the formula I are separated, wherein the stated solvent is acetone or an acetone/water mixture.
The present application also provides a second process for the production of antiulceratives of the formula I: 
in which
R1, R2 and R3 are independently selected from
hydrogen,
C1-C8 alkyl,
C3-C8 cycloalkyl,
C2-C8 fluoroalkyl and
C1-C8 alkoxy,
R4 and R5 are independently selected from
hydrogen,
halogen
C1-C8 alkyl,
C3-C8 cycloalkyl,
CH2-C3-C8 cycloalkyl,
C1-C8 alkoxycarbonyl,
C1-C8 alkoxy,
C1-C8 fluoroalkoxy,
CF3,
C2-C8 fluoroalkyl and
xe2x80x94C(O)Oxe2x80x94C1-C8 alkyl, and
R6 is selected from
hydrogen and
C1-C2 alkyl,
in which process a compound of the formula II: 
in which R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 have the above-stated meaning is reacted with oxidising agents, in particular peroxy compounds, preferably m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid, in a solvent with a pH of  greater than 7.0. A catalyst may optionally be added during said reaction. Water is then optionally added, the solvent is optionally removed and then the crystals of the compound of the formula I are separated, wherein the stated solvent is acetone or an acetone/water mixture.
The advantage of both processes in comparison with the prior art resides in the use of acetone or acetone/water mixtures as the solvent for the oxidation reaction. In comparison with the solvents hitherto described in the prior art, in particular for omeprazole, acetone is a solvent which is known not to be hazardous to the environment and also has a distinct health advantage with its maximum allowable concentration (MAC) value of 1000 ppm (in comparison with toluene""s MAC value of 100 ppm). The proposed processes using acetone or acetone/water mixtures as the solvent simultaneously permit the production of the products of the process at elevated purity and yield. The inventive process is accordingly also advantageous in this respect.
Any oxidising agent known to the person ordinarily skilled in the art may be used as the oxidising agent, in particular peroxy compounds such as peroxides, per-acids or per-esters, with hydrogen peroxide and in particular m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid being preferred among these. The term peroxy compounds is taken to mean compounds which comprise at least one peroxy group.
The catalysts optionally added in the processes according to the invention may be catalysts for oxidation reactions known to the person skilled in the art, in particular inorganic acids and others. In particularly preferred embodiments of the processes of the present invention, however, no catalysts are added to the reaction mixture, especially when m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid or hydrogen peroxide is used. For the purposes of this invention, the term reaction mixture should be taken to mean the mixture of a compound according to the formula II and the oxidising agent, in particular the peroxy compound, preferably m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid, in acetone or an acetone/water mixture, optionally of a pH of  greater than 7.0.
With regard to the second process described above, it is particularly preferred to maintain the pH of the solvent and thus of the reaction mixture at a value of  greater than 7.0 by pH-static titration, preferably with NaOH, and/or by buffer substances, preferably mono- or dibasic salts, in particular sodium or potassium carbonate and/or sodium or potassium bicarbonate, dissolved in or added to the solvent. It is also preferred in the case of anhydrous acetone to add buffer substances which, in the case of the optional, but preferred, addition of water in the second process may immediately act as buffer substances and thus prevent an acidic pH from occurring in the resultant solvent mixture. Many of the antiulceratives which may be produced using the process according to the invention, in particular the preferred omeprazole and pantoprazole, are highly acid-sensitive.
The present invention particularly preferably provides processes according to the invention as described above in which in the compounds according to the formulae I and II,
R1 means CH3,
R2 means OCH3,
R3 means CH3,
R4 means H,
R5 means OCH3 in position 5 and
R6 means H.
The corresponding compound according to the formula I is omeprazole, that according to the formula II is pyrmetazole.
The present invention furthermore provides processes according to the invention as described above, in which in the compounds according to the formulae I and II,
R1 means H,
R2 means OCH3,
R3 means OCH3,
R4 means H,
R5 means OCF2H in position 5 and
R6 means H.
The corresponding resultant compound according to the formula I is pantoprazole.
When an acetone/water mixture is used as the solvent in the reaction mixture, water is conventionally used in a ratio by volume of 1% to 50% (v/v), preferably of 5% to 20% (v/v), in particular of 10% to 15% (v/v).
It is furthermore preferred to adjust the reaction mixture to a temperature of between xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. and 30xc2x0 C., preferably of between xe2x88x925xc2x0 C. and 5xc2x0 C., in particular during the oxidation reaction, optionally, in particular to protect the products, but also throughout the process described herein.
In the processes according to the invention, the molar ratio between the compound of the formula II and the peroxy compound, preferably m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid, is conventionally 1:0.7 to 1.4, preferably 1:0.9 to 1.2, in particular 1:1.
Removal of the solvent, which is optional in both processes, is performed using processes familiar to the person ordinarily skilled in the art, wherein it is in particular preferred to remove the solvent (drying) under reduced pressure, for example by applying a vacuum, in particular at temperatures of below room temperature, preferably of around 0xc2x0 C. This method is particularly mild for antiulceratives, in particular for omeprazole or pantoprazole.
In the processes according to the invention, the solvent is preferably removed when it comprises an acetone/water mixture. When pure acetone is used, in particular in accordance with the first described process, it is possible to obtain crystals of the corresponding antiulcerative, for example of omeprazole, without removing the solvent and thus to separate the crystals directly. In a corresponding further preferred embodiment of the first process, removal of the solvent is accordingly omitted.
In the method according to the first process, the reaction step stated therein in which the pH of the reaction mixture is increased to above 7.0 is performed using methods known to the person ordinarily skilled in the art. It is, however, in particular preferred to add basic substances and/or solutions of these substances, in particular solutions of NaOH, sodium or potassium carbonate or sodium or potassium bicarbonate, which preferably have a concentration of  greater than 1.0 M.
The following Examples illustrate the invention, without limiting it thereto.